A screw is a twisted inclined plane. It exhibits a circular motion. The simple screw machines usually have threaded cuttings on their parts. When the threaded shaft of the screw is rotated, the rotation gets converted into a linear form, causing the screw to move along its axis.
Depending on the direction of force applied to the screw, it moves from a lower position to a higher position or vice-versa. These types of machines are often used to fasten and hold two things together.
Examples of Screw Simple Machines
#1. Screw pump
As the name itself indicates, a screw pump is an example of a simple screw machine. It is also known as a water screw and is used to move the fluid along the axis of the screw. It is a positive displacement pump that makes use of one or more than one screws to perform the task.
#2. Bulb
To fix a bulb in the holder it is supplied with a sufficient amount of twisting force. The twisting force helps the bulb to rotate. The thread cuttings present on the base of the bulb and inside the holder get perfectly fit with each other, thereby making the bulb one of the prime examples of a simple screw machine.
#3. Jar Lid
The threads on the neck of a jar and inside the lid are well-matched. The torsion force applied to the lid helps it move in a circular direction and get attached to the jar. If the torsion force is applied in the opposite direction, the lid moves in the opposite direction, and the lid gets removed, thereby exhibiting the working of a screw simple machine.
#4. Drill Machine
The internal mechanical arrangement of a drilling machine helps the drill bit rotate and move in a circular motion. The circular motion of the bit gets converted into linear motion along its axis, depending on the direction of motion, thereby exhibiting the working of a simple screw machine.
#5. Bolt
A bolt is one of the simplest examples of a simple screw machine. It is a mechanical tool that is used to hold the two objects together with the help of a washer and a nut. The bolt has thread cuttings all over its length that perfectly match the threads on the inside of a nut.
#6. Bottle Caps
We often tend to believe that a machine is something that consists of a complex mechanical arrangement of objects by overlooking the existence of machines that we use in our daily life.
For instance, the process of fastening and unfastening a bottle cap is based on the working of a simple screw machine.
#7. Faucets
The faucets used to control the flow of water or any other fluid are yet another example of simple screw machines.
To vary the flow of water coming out of a faucet, it is twisted in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction, thereby exhibiting the operation of a screw machine.
#8. Car Jack
A screw jack is a device that is used to convert rotational motion into linear motion. The threads present on the structure of a worm screw or a screw jack are used to push or pull the object depending upon the direction of the rotation.
A car jack is usually small and portable; however, it possesses the ability to carry the weight of the car. Hence, it is one of the chief examples of a screw machine.
#9. Wine Corkscrew
A corkscrew is a simple metallic screw attached to the base of a wooden handle. To open a wine bottle with the help of a wine corkscrew, the user firmly grips the arrangement and applies torsion force to it until the screw gets properly embedded into the cork.
The cork then can be easily extracted with a vertical pull, thereby making the wine corkscrew a perfect example of simple screw machines.
#10. Gas Tank Cap
We often do not acknowledge the presence of some appliances that we use on the daily basis as simple machines. One such example is a gas tank cap.
To fix the gas tank cap on the top of a fuel tank, a torsion force is applied to it that helps it work as a simple screw machine.